Last night I had my amma (Sinhala for mother) and mallis (Sinhala for younger brother) over for dinner. This family found me the house I am renting, and has been looking out for me. Amma was extremely concerned about my ability to eat while on my own, frankly she did not believe a young single male could cook. She has fed me lots over the past week, and I wanted to repay the favor.

With the aid of a fellow Fulbrighter and her visiting boyfriend, we cooked up red rice, dhal, beets, and curried cabbage. Amma made fish puff pastries and brought ice cream. I had invited them over for dinner at 7, and around 7:50 I heard a knock on my door. They had arrived. We sat in my living room, talking and chatting until around 9pm. It was time to eat, and we sat down and enjoyed a meal.

In Sri Lanka, people typically leave as soon as the meal is done. So you really want to stretch out the pre dinner activities. Its nice to have a home, where I can invite friends over to.